Filming on Roads, Highways and Pavements

Filming on roads or pavements is a good example of why a planning permission is not the only permission a production needs. Even a short shoot can require agreement from the highway authority if the crew affects traffic, pedestrians, parking or places equipment on the highway.

There is no single England-wide filming permit or universal road-closure lead time. Different highway authorities use different legal routes and application processes, so the location and scale of the production matter.

Small handheld filming which does not obstruct anyone may be treated very differently from a production needing traffic holds, tracking vehicles, suspended parking, lighting, cables or a complete road closure.

Does filming on roads require permission?

Sometimes a very small production can film without a formal road closure or traffic-management permission, but do not assume that means the authority never needs to know.

For example, Hampshire County Council says general visuals which do not obstruct pedestrians or vehicles can be filmed within normal highway rules without contacting its highways team. Wokingham similarly says small-scale filming with minimal disruption and no traffic management does not need permission from its Streetworks Team. Other authorities use their own processes.

The safe rule is to check the highway authority responsible for the actual location, especially if the crew will occupy more space than an ordinary pedestrian.

Equipment on the pavement

Tripods, tracks, lighting, cables, generators and other equipment can create an obstruction or safety issue even if no vehicle lane is closed.

Filming in England advises that the public must normally retain access unless an area has been formally closed and that equipment such as cables which obstruct the highway should be dealt with through the local authority and the production’s risk assessment.

A pavement is not a private film set simply because somebody has placed a camera on it. Members of the public generally retain the right to pass through an open public space.

Traffic management

Once a production needs stop and go control, temporary signals, lane restrictions or other active management of traffic, the highway authority and an accredited traffic-management provider are likely to become involved.

The precise licence and process vary. Wokingham uses a section 171 route for filming on the public highway where traffic management is needed, while other highway authorities have their own event or streetworks procedures.

Build this into the schedule early. A location recce is not the same as approval to control traffic on the shoot day.

Road closures for filming

Filming on roads, normally needs a formal legal order or notice for a complete road closure . Lead times vary materially between authorities and circumstances.

Hampshire asks productions seeking a filming road closure to contact its highways team at least six weeks in advance. Oxfordshire says filming road closures require at least 12 weeks for the special event order process, and Brighton and Hove also asks for at least 12 weeks for traffic-management applications. These are local examples, not a national statutory period.

The practical point is simple: if the shot depends upon an empty road, confirm the authority’s process before the production promises the location or shoot date.

Parking suspensions and dispensations

Camera vehicles, lighting vans, generators, wardrobe trucks and unit vehicles often need kerbside space close to the set whilst filming on roads. Where parking is controlled, the production may need suspensions or dispensations from the relevant authority.

Parking permission does not authorise obstruction of the highway and it does not amount to planning permission. Treat parking, traffic management, road closure and planning as separate approvals.

Tracking vehicles and filming from moving vehicles

Filming from or involving moving vehicles can raise road-safety and traffic-management issues well beyond ordinary location filming. The highway authority and production safety team should establish what control is required before the shot is designed around live traffic.

A normal vehicle obeying the ordinary rules of the road is different from a tracking vehicle, low loader, unusual convoy or staged driving sequence which needs controlled road space.

Street furniture, signs and temporary changes

Whilst filming on roads a production may want to remove or cover signs, alter street furniture, place set dressing on the highway or make the street look like another period or country. Those works need the agreement of the authority or asset owner and may require additional licences.

Temporary does not mean the crew can alter public highway assets without permission. Reinstatement requirements should be agreed in advance.

Police and emergency access

Some scenes can look like real incidents to the public whilst filming on roads. Police liaison may be needed where the production uses emergency vehicles or uniforms, creates a staged incident or otherwise risks causing alarm.

Road closures must also maintain whatever emergency access and diversion arrangements the authority requires. Those are operational matters, not something the planning system resolves.

Does highway filming need planning permission?

The filming activity may be so brief and limited that no material change of use occurs. Larger compounds, structures or longer occupations can raise separate planning questions, and a nearby unit base may need assessment even where the camera position on the highway does not.

Our commercial filming guide covers the planning test. This page deals with the additional highway permissions.

Highway filming checklist

• identify the actual highway authority
• decide whether pedestrians or vehicles will be obstructed or controlled
• identify equipment, cables and vehicles occupying the highway
• check parking suspensions and dispensations
• allow enough time for any road closure or traffic order
• appoint an appropriate traffic-management contractor where required
• consider police liaison and emergency access
• keep any separate planning or unit-base approval on the checklist

Our broader filming permits guide covers landowner, council, insurance and other location permissions.

Filming and photography planning resources

Location filming can involve planning permission, permitted development, private or public land permissions, roads, protected sites, production bases and drone restrictions. Use the guide which best matches the issue you are dealing with.

Filming on Roads and Highways Page Created: 11th October 2026